Denver Nuggets / NBA

Nuggets answer coach's call, defeat Pelicans 102-93

In the hours leading up to the Nuggets' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Denver coach Brian Shaw issued challenges to some of his team's most important players.

Ty Lawson. Kenneth Faried. J.J. Hickson. And others.

"I put everybody on alert," Shaw said. "I challenged Ty as a leader, whether he wants to accept that responsibility or not. I challenge Kenneth and J.J. and just the starters in general that they have to start games (well)."

Challenge accepted.

The Nuggets' 102-93 win over New Orleans at the Pepsi Center wasn't the completely polished product Shaw was looking for, but his players at least looked to take more ownership in the effort and focus they put on the court. And that was a start.

"I thought the starters gave a better effort tonight," Shaw said. "They're pros, and they have pride. Ty and Randy (Foye), I felt that (going scoreless last game) was an aberration more than anything else. And they still can do better."

The Nuggets steadily ground the New Orleans offense to a halt, forcing a reduction in the Pelicans' field-goal percentage in each quarter as the game went on. And that has been a fairly consistent part of the Nuggets' personality this season as well — getting stronger as games wear on.

After Denver allowed 27 points in the first quarter, New Orleans managed 25 in the second and just 16 in the third. That defensive performance allowed the Nuggets to jump-start their offense, which did get off to another sluggish start. The Nuggets were down 8-0 early before things began to improve. A 22-8 run got them back into the game, and the two teams jousted from then.

"Third quarter, I think we showed we can play great defense," Hickson said. "We contested most of their shots."

Shooting was an issue, the Nuggets hitting just 43.5 percent from the field, so the defensive effort was doubly important in getting the victory.

Lawson was still not fully himself coming off a hamstring strain. He came out aggressive, then uncharacteristically backed off a bit, becoming more passive on the offensive end until the third. He got back-to-hard drives into the paint, and those drives collapsed the defense and created open looks for various teammates. Lawson finished the night with eight assists to go along with 12 points (on 4-of-9 shooting).

"I'm still trying to get my wind back," Lawson said. "We were on the road for 10 days. I didn't do anything for five, so my wind was kind of crazy the last two games. So, I'm trying to get back."

Overall, the Nuggets placed five players in double figures, led by Wilson Chandler's 19 and Hickson's 19 points and 11 rebounds. Denver's Nate Robinson led bench scorers with 14.

Most of all, the Nuggets weren't handled by one player quite the way Utah's Gordon Hayward did two nights earlier. Their ability to keep most Pelicans under control — Ryan Anderson led with 26 points — was a key.

"We wanted to bounce back from that last loss," Hickson said. "It was a bad loss to a team that's not a bad team but a team we're supposed to beat. So we wanted to come in and show what type of team we could be."